<p>Today, almost a year after we moved into this apartment, I unpacked the final box. My life is now box-free - for a while, anyway.&nbsp; This was the longest lasting single move of the dozen or so moves in my adult life.&nbsp; Worthy of a mention in Lo's Greatest Moving Abroad Tips (Lo, you can quote me in the next edition&nbsp; as saying 'Don't do it My Way'.)</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Why did it take so long?&nbsp; We left Uruguay in mid-July last year, with four large suitcases.&nbsp; Our 'stuff' which was shipped was the subject of many a poem and blog post back then.&nbsp; We arrived in Belgium at the beginning of September, having spent time with family and friends in England, Ireland and Scotland. And we moved into an aparthotel, while we waited for our tenants to leave our flat.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The six weeks there were wonderfully minimalist - amazing how much stuff one accumulates and how little one needs.&nbsp; Then in mid-October we moved into the flat.&nbsp; And our 'first move' was delivered - up an external lift and through our terrace door and into the flat via the bedroom- stuff that had been in storage for over eight years - our furniture, loads of old files and photo albums and books, kids' memorabilia and so on, most of it pretty mouldy.&nbsp; And we began to realise that we'd need to make a few changes: the kitchen was small and ugly, and I wanted a new one.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Another month passed before the 'real' move arrived: the big truck filled with 'Uruvan' boxes arrived on a snowy November day - a piano, pictures, kitchen equipment, bedding, hi-fi and so on.&nbsp; Now we'd come from a pretty big house in Montevideo, and this is a normal-sized flat - and though we'd got rid of lots of bits and pieces before we left, it soon became clear that we'd have to rationalise.&nbsp; Kids came over with empty suitcases at Christmas and went away with full ones.&nbsp; They mostly took sheets, pictures, crockery and cutlery.&nbsp; However, they managed to convince us that parents actually keep extra kids' stuff until those kids turn thirty, and boxes were neatly labelled 'Kids' school reports', 'Kids' paintings' (none became an artist but you don't chuck stuff like that away), 'Kids' books', and stored in our minuscule cellar.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Then there were several trips to a wonderful place I discovered called 'Troc', which sells second hand junk.&nbsp; Gardening equipment, gardening tools (we only have a teeny terrace here) were disposed of, along with bric-a-brac.&nbsp; In eight years kids and adults grow, and tastes change, so a lot of clothes were disposed of at&nbsp; 'Les Petits Riens', a local charity.&nbsp; The International School of Brussels welcomed piles of books that no-one wanted to read any more.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>But still there were loads of unpacked boxes and no-where to empty them.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>And suddenly, from 'let's get a new kitchen', the plans developed and grew - we desperately needed storage space, and there was nowhere to hang the washing, and...and...and...All the planning took quite a while, and when we'd at last made up our minds as to what we wanted, the company we'd chosen couldn't start work until August.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>'Two weeks, it'll take,' they said.&nbsp; Except the painting.&nbsp; We start on 4 August.&nbsp; Everything, including the painting, will be done by the end of the month.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Yeah, yeah, we thought, as we made sure penalties for delays were included in the contract.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>'We're going on holiday, and coming back on 13 August,' we said.&nbsp; 'We need the house to be livable in by then.'</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>'What's livable in?'</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>'I need to be able to sleep, have a shower, cook, and wash my clothes.'</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Well, needless to say, they were nowhere near done when we got back, and we moved into an aparthotel - the same one we'd been in when we arrived last year - equipped with the same four suitcases.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>'Mid-September,' they said.&nbsp; And on the appointed date, stress levels pretty high, we moved back.&nbsp; The dust and the filth were awful, but apparently that is to be expected.&nbsp; Still a few details to be sorted - window-closing mechanisms, blinds, a couple of shelves here and there, and a bit of negotiation as to who was responsible for the state of the parquet - which they had scratched by dragging the furniture around.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>And now, it's done.&nbsp; I have a new kitchen, a laundry-room, and loads of space.&nbsp; Over the last couple of weeks we have been unpacking - today we tackled the last four boxes - all photos and pictures collected over eight years in Tanzania and Uruguay.&nbsp;&nbsp; All the new wall-to wall cupboards means less wall space, and so fewer places to put pictures - but the kids will visit again soon (and one will turn thirty shortly).</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Tomorrow the builders come back for the 'final' tweaks.&nbsp; Apart from the parquet.&nbsp; Seems their insurance will pay for that, but it'll take a while to get the paperwork done.&nbsp; I can't face moving everything out of the living-room again and facing more filth and dust.&nbsp; I have covered the floor with carpets, and hope the insurance people will just give me damages.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>And I just love my new kitchen - it opens in to the living-room, so we can chat while I'm in there.&nbsp; It's friendly and bright - and I have a great view over to Sweeney's.&nbsp; The workmen are meant to install a blind on the kitchen window tomorrow.&nbsp; Let's hope they forget it.&nbsp; I attach a couple of 'before' and 'after' photos, so you can see the transformation.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Moving, they say, is the next most stressful thing after a death in the family or divorce.&nbsp; Pkease let me stay put for a little while, please!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>'</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>You may have noticed a theme running through my recent blog posts - five book reviews - and&nbsp;every one of them has&nbsp;a Bangladesh connection.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Why the sudden interest?&nbsp; Well, from 15 January, Dhaka, a city of 12 million people, in a country which is half underwater during the monsoon season, will be my home for the next few years.&nbsp; As I often say, 'some lead, and others follow.'&nbsp; I am happy to follow - this time it'll be quite a challenge!&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>When Bangladesh became independent in 1971, it was branded as a 'basket case' by Henry Kissinger.&nbsp; Not so any longer.&nbsp; If you are interested in reading an up-to-date report on how the country is performing, especially in relation to the Millennium Goals, have a look at a recent Wall Street Journal article here: <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703882404575519330896471058.html">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703882404575519330896471058.html</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>I went to Bangladesh on a recce trip a couple of weeks ago, you can see photos of my trip here:</p> <p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=300266&amp;id=664241054&amp;l=f7d9e47d15">http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=300266&amp;id=664241054&amp;l=f7d9e47d15</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>I am confident that this move will bring me adventure, fulfillment, and The Muse!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>